Crystal is Crazy
by saveourmanatees373
Summary: This introduces a new character to the Little House idea. Crystal is new to Walnut Grove, and Nellie teases her because of her health problems. Crystal has never been spanked, so she plots to get them both a spanking. WARNING: involves spanking minors
1. Curious Crystal

Little House Fan Fiction  
  
Crystal is Crazy Part 1  
  
Twelve year old Crystal was relatively new to Walnut Grove, and hadn't made many friends. It wasn't that she didn't try, or that she wasn't nice; the problem she had was that she was never in school consistently. She didn't skip; she simply was extremely ill. She would get violent headaches that plagued her so much that she wasn't able to leave her room. Her parents, while not being rich, weren't poor either, and had taken her to doctors, but they were all perplexed at Crystal's state. If she had lived a century later, she would have been immediately diagnosed with having severe migraines. At this point in time, however, such a thing was not known, so she had to suffer.   
  
It had been decided that she would do better away from the noise and pollution and other stressors of the city they had lived in, so her parents had promptly packed up all of their belongings and headed off to small Walnut Grove.  
  
The school year was already in session when they had come, and Crystal had struggled to get caught up. Miss Beadle was more than understanding, but it concerned her that the young woman was extremely withdrawn.  
  
One day, two weeks after she had just started going to her new school, the children were let outside for recess. She retreated to an old tree as was her habit, praying that she would just be left alone so she could try to make up some of her school work. All of a sudden, Nellie, Willy, and a few of their friends came up and surrounded her.  
  
Crystal cowered; she knew that just fed bullies' hunger, but she couldn't help it!   
  
"Well, well, well," taunted Nellie, "if it isn't little miss Crystal. Where've you been? This is only the third day in two weeks you've been in school!"  
  
"Yeah!" piped up Willy. "I'll bet you've been skipping!"  
  
"I have not!" Crystal replied indignantly. "I've been sick!"  
  
"Yeah right," snorted Nellie. "My Ma says something's wrong with your head. You must be crazy!"  
  
"I am not! I get headaches!" argued the young girl.  
  
"Don't lie!" yelled Nellie as loudly as she dared.  
  
"Crystal is crazy!" teased Willie. Before long, half the boys on the playground were gathered around the blond, taking up the chant.  
  
"Crystal is crazy! Crystal is crazy! Crystal is crazy!"  
  
Crystal felt tears welling up in her eyes, despite how vulnerable it made her feel. This is part of why they had moved from the city; all of the taunting and tormenting had been too much. Supposedly it was supposed to be better here, but Walnut Grove was proving to be no better than the eleven years of taunting she'd been subject to in the city. Her adrenaline began pumping, and suddenly all she could think about was giving Nellie Oleson and her brother a big black eye.   
  
At that moment, across the school yard, Mary and Laura saw the throng of kids circling someone. They didn't know who it was or what it was about, but they knew it wasn't good. "Laura!" cried Mary. "Go get Miss Beadle! Hurry!"  
  
Laura, who was ten at this time, took off, her legs practically flying. Mary ran the other way, over to the throng. She weaseled her way through the multitude, and saw the new girl raising her arm to punch Nellie's lights out.  
  
"Crystal! Don't!" Mary screamed, in order to be heard over the noise of the chant.  
  
The poor girl was shaking and crying by this time. She and Mary were the same age, and Mary's heart went out to the poor girl. She put a comforting arm around her, easing the arm she had planned to use to strike Nellie down, but didn't attempt to get her through the throng. She could just see Miss Beadle racing out of the schoolhouse, and figured it would be best for her to see the crime scene the way it was.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" she hollered over the roar of the chant. Upon seeing their teacher, the kids immediately began to back off. All of them, that is, except Nellie and Willie.  
  
"Miss Beadle!" Nellie whined, ready to turn this whole thing to her advantage. "Crystal here was just about to punch me and Willie when you came out here! Aren't you going to punish her?"  
  
"Well it certainly didn't look like that to me, Nellie," Miss Beadle retorted. "Crystal, would you please tell me what happened?"  
  
Crystal was stuck. She didn't want to get Nellie and Willie into trouble, because she knew that they would be just that much worse the next day. "I really wasn't going to punch her Miss Beadle! Everyone was making fun of me, and I was threatening them; honest, that's all it was. I just wanted them to leave me alone. Nellie was the closest, that's why it was her. Please don't be mad at me, Miss Beadle."  
  
Mary was shocked! She didn't feel like she could tell on Nellie, because she didn't know exactly what had happened. She knew there was more to this story, though, than this girl was telling.  
  
Miss Beadle, on the other hand, bought it completely. If she was completely honest with herself, she would admit that she was favoring the slight-built young woman, but at that moment, it didn't cross her mind as such.  
  
"Well, I'm sure that if you really didn't intend to hurt anyone, then there is no problem here. I don't like the idea of people making fun of you, though. Would you tell me who it was?"  
  
Crystal was caught between a rock and a hard place. "I, it was a lot of people, ma'am. It's okay, really." Mary could believe her ears, and wanted to speak up, but not knowing anything about what had just taken place, she felt it was really out of her hands.  
  
"Well, then, I think recess is over for today, boys and girls," replied a surprised Miss Beadle." Grudgingly, the class came in out of the beautiful weather to resume their seemingly boring lessons.  
  
After school let out for the day, Crystal set out sullenly by herself to go home. Mary signaled to Laura, and together they raced after the dejected girl.  
  
"Hi, Crystal, I'm Mary. I'm afraid we didn't quite get properly introduced earlier," Mary introduced herself.  
  
"And I'm Laura!" piped up the brown-haired tomboy. "I'm her sister. Is it true you were going to slug Nellie Oleson one?"  
  
Crystal shrugged. "I don't know what I would have done if Mary hadn't come along," she said. "I've put up with bullying my whole life; I was told that it wouldn't happen here, but they were wrong."  
  
"What exactly did she do?" inquired Laura.  
  
"Well, she started teasing me about just missing school, and about how her mother says I have something wrong with my head. That's partially true, because I have this disease that gives me constant headaches that keep me in bed all the time. That's why I'm never in school. Not because I skip. But then Willy started up a chant of 'Crystal is Crazy' and I was just about to lose it when your sister got to me."  
  
"Well, I think it's too bad you DIDN'T give Nellie a black eye. It would have served her right!" stated Laura.  
  
"Laura!" admonished Mary. "I can't believe you! Besides, the last thing Crystal needs is a sore backside to accompany a sore head."  
  
"Huh?" asked a truly perplexed Crystal.  
  
"Oh, don't be silly! I'm sure your pa would skin you alive if you beat up another girl, even if it IS Nellie Oleson," replied Mary.  
  
"Oh, don't be so sure," chuckled Crystal. Laura and Mary exchanged looks. "My ma and pa don't believe in spanking me."  
  
"Man, I wish I was you!" breathed Laura.  
  
"No, you don't. It isn't fun… and, well, if I tell you something, do you two promise not to tell anyone else?"  
  
The sisters didn't know what to think, but they shrugged. "Of course you can tell us… everyone knows the Ingalls are the best secret keepers in Walnut Grove!" said an enthusiastic Laura.  
  
"Well… I wish I was more normal. My parents not spanking me just alienates me from everyone else. Or at least it feels like it."  
  
"Oh, don't let THAT bother you! I'm sure there's one or two other kids here who haven't felt the burn of a spanking here in Walnut Grove," Mary said unconvincingly.  
  
They walked in silence for a few minutes, and then suddenly Laura broke out into a HUGE grin. "What's so funny?" demanded Crystal, whose sensitivity made her think that Laura was making fun of her.  
  
"Nothing… except… well, I probably shouldn't be telling you this…"  
  
Now it was Mary's turn to be concerned. "Laura," she said warningly.  
  
"No, what is it Laura?" asked Crystal, whose curiosity had peaked now that she knew that Laura's grin wasn't because of something she had done.  
  
"Well… we both want to see Nellie get a black eye, right?"  
  
"Well, yes…"  
  
"And YOU want a spanking, right?"  
  
"Well, yes, but I don't see how that would make any difference! I already told you… my parents don't believe in using spanking…"  
  
"Your parents haven't been confronted by an angry Mrs. Oleson yet, though, have they?"  
  
Even Mary had to grin, now. If Harriett Oleson found out that Crystal was responsible for hurting her darling little daughter, no matter the reasoning, she would DEMAND that she get fair retribution.   
  
"I don't know," replied Crystal, though. "My parents would still probably get out of it."  
  
"No they wouldn't," said a laughing Mary. "Harriett Oleson would not let someone who hurt her precious flesh and blood get away with it. And even if Nellie doesn't get in trouble, she'll be sporting a black eye for a while… and she'll probably keep her distance from you too!"  
  
"That would be so neat… but are you SURE my parents would have to actually spank me?"  
  
"Well, if you really want a lickin', yes, I KNOW this is one way to definitely get it," Laura giggled. She still didn't understand why someone would WANT a skinning, but if that's what she wanted, so be it. "If you do it right in front of Mrs. Oleson, there is NO WAY you could get away with it."  
  
Crystal positively beamed at the thought of getting back at Nellie. "I wonder what it would take to get Nellie in trouble too…" she pondered.  
  
"Well, you could always do it in front of BOTH of her parents… Mr. Oleson wouldn't let her get away with it… if you could get her to tease you first, that is," Mary mused.  
  
"How?" she asked.  
  
"Hmmm… well, I suppose you could ACT a LITTLE like you were crazy… just dancing a little jig for no real reason. And if anyone asks, we could say you were practicing for the barn raising coming up," schemed Laura.  
  
"I LOVE the way you think!" exclaimed Crystal. "It's set then."  
  
"Crystal… I don't know if this is such a good idea… you don't know how bad a spanking can hurt," said Mary.  
  
"EXACTLY… I need to know. Besides, it can't be any worse than my headaches."  
  
Mary was dubious, but she decided to keep her mouth shut.   
  
"When should I do it?" asked the newcomer.  
  
"Tomorrow is Friday. Nellie always has a bunch of her snooty friends at the store then. We could walk over there with you, pretending that we were looking for a birthday present for Ma. It wouldn't take much. With some luck, Nellie will fight you back; if Mr. Oleson sees that, he won't stand for it!" said Laura excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, but what if he isn't there?" asked Crystal worriedly.  
  
"That's not a problem. Friday is always the busiest day of the week for the Olesons because it's payday. Everyone is there; Harriett can't handle that many customers all by herself. And since Mr. Oleson always takes the cash register when it's both of them in there, he will have a clear view out the window AND the door," smiled Mary.  
  
"It's settled, then!" exclaimed an excited Crystal. "We'll meet directly after school, give Nellie and her followers time to get to the store, and then make our way over there! You guys are the best!" 


	2. Nellie's Comeuppance

"Crystal is Crazy" Part 2  
  
A Little House on the Prairie Fan Fiction  
  
That night Laura and Mary went home and were VERY careful to do all of their chores and homework promptly. They didn't want to be kept from staying after school for anything… there was no way they were going to miss Crystal's performance.   
  
Once the family was gathered for dinner, Mary decided to make sure that it was safe for Laura and herself to stay after school. "Ma, Pa?" she began.  
  
"Yes, Mary?" responded Caroline.  
  
"Laura and I wanted to make sure it was alright for us to stay after school a little bit tomorrow. There's this new girl, Crystal, and we promised to spend a little time with her. She's been out sick a lot and doesn't have many friends."  
  
"Well, I don't see why not," replied Ma. "I have a fairly easy day here, so as long as you aren't out too late you may stay out awhile. Is that alright with you Charles?"  
  
"Of course it is! I've heard about this Crystal; it sounds like she could use all the friends she can get." Mary and Laura breathed a sigh of relief; they were free!  
  
The next day, Mary and Laura stayed by Crystal's side during lunch, so Nellie and Willie couldn't start teasing her again. Recess went without a single problem, although Nellie did manage to stick her tongue out at Crystal once or twice when the Ingalls' backs were turned. Little did she know that she was only adding fuel to the fire, and that she was going to pay for that more than she could ever dream possible!  
  
The afternoon inched slowly by, and finally the class was released. Nellie and her friends had hung back for awhile, hoping to catch Crystal by herself, but she had to stay and get help from Miss Beadle, so they finally departed in the direction of the general store. Laura and Mary, who had hung back in the rear of the classroom, grinned at each other, and caught Crystal's eye as she was working with Miss Beadle. An excitement was fired up in those eyes that had been so dull for so long.  
  
Finally, about ten drawn-out minutes, the girls were free to go about their way. They dashed through the door, and headed up to Oleson's Mercantile. As expected, the girls were hanging out near the counter, gorging themselves on candy, and frankly making a pest of themselves.  
  
"Now, remember, Crystal," Mary warned for the umpteenth time, "you have to give Nellie fair warning, and a loud one, before you hit her. Warn her that you aren't crazy, and for her to leave you alone. That will probably make her go after you all the more, which is when you should attack her."  
  
"I know, I know!" Crystal laughed. "I promise not to blow it, Mary!" Mary grinned.  
  
Finally, Mary gave Crystal the 'thumb's up' sign, and then she and Laura "hid" a few feet away. They were still in clear sight, but not to the other girls and Willie, who would have their backs to them. They could still claim to be watching Crystal 'dance,' but Nellie's initial reaction would be that Crystal was dancing for no reason at all, with no one watching.  
  
Once they were in position, Laura grinned and nodded, and Crystal went into a lively rendition of a jig. Just as planned, it didn't take Nellie long to spy the twelve year old. She motioned to her friends, and naturally, Willie trailed after his sister as well.  
  
"See, girls," Nellie said snidely, "I told you SHE was insane."  
  
"I am not, Nellie Oleson!"  
  
"Yeah, right. Crystal, you really are pathetic. Is that why they sent you to Walnut Grove? You were too pathetic to be around the good city kids?"  
  
"Nellie, I'm warning you…" said Crystal, playing her part to the max.  
  
"Ooh… I'm scared. What're you going to do? Hit me? You're too weak and pathetic to even lay a finger on me…."  
  
Crystal had a MEAN right curve, and she used it to hit Nellie square in the side of the face. That had hurt! But she carefully hid that from her opponent. And, just as Mary had suspected she would, Nellie went at Crystal full throttle. Before long, the girls were in a full tussle. At least Crystal was getting in some decent punches; Nellie was satisfying herself with trying her hardest to pull Crystal's long, blond hair out. She did succeed in elbowing her in the eye, but even that was an accident. In other words, Nellie was as girly as she looked.  
  
"What on Earth?" Nels asked Harriett as he looked out the shop window.  
  
"Why, it's that insane girl! She's beating up my Nellie!" exclaimed Harriett.  
  
"Harriett, I've told you before, she's not insane, and it looks like Nellie is doing her fair share of the beating up…" he said. But Harriett didn't even hear him, she was rushing into the street to save her darling little daughter.  
  
James Craiger, Crystal's father, happened to be in the store at the same time, unbeknownst to his daughter. He exchanged looks with Nels.  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid that is your daughter fighting with mine out there. What do you say, should we go break it up?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know," came the amused response. "Watching your wife try and get in there without breaking her nails is rather amusing." By this time, both men were laughing so hard they had tears running down their cheeks.  
  
"I suppose we really should break it up, anyway," said Nels. "I just can't believe this!"  
  
"If I find out my daughter instigated it…" began James.  
  
"No, don't even sweat it. I'm sure it was my Nellie who started it by making fun of Crystal. Now, shall we?"  
  
Together the two men made their way out into the street, and successfully broke up the fighting girls.   
  
"What TOOK you so long, Nels?" demanded a very frazzled Harriett.  
  
"Oh, nothing, dear," he replied, hiding his grin. That was when he noticed the two Ingalls girls standing off to the side, laughing their heads off.  
  
"Laura! Mary!" he called out to them. "Do you have ANY idea of what just happened here?"  
  
"Well, yes, sir, I suppose we do," replied Mary a little warily.  
  
"Would you please come inside, then, and help sort out this mess?" he asked.  
  
"Ah, yeah, sure!" replied Laura, ready to defend Crystal as much as she could… at least enough to help her save face in front of Nellie.  
  
The party of seven went inside the store. "Could everyone please leave the store for about half an hour?" requested Nels. Everyone by this time knew what had taken place outside, and they were more than happy to oblige. Before long, the store was deserted except for the four girls and three very unhappy adults.  
  
"Young lady," snapped Harriett, "just what do you think you were doing, beating up on my poor Nellie like that?"  
  
"Now Harriett, I'm sure there is some rational explanation for this," replied Nels. "Laura, Mary, did you see the whole thing?"  
  
"Yessir," replied Mary.   
  
"Would you care to clear up this big mess?"  
  
"It all started yesterday at school," began Laura. "Nellie and Willie were teasing Crystal about her being crazy and her missin' school all the time. Miss Beadle stopped it, but Crystal was bad upset about it."  
  
"We were coming over to the store, today, to look for a gift for Ma's birthday with Crystal… or at least she was walking as far as the store with us, then she was going to go home. But she wanted to show us her jig for the upcoming dance," Mary jumped in. "She used Crystal's dancing as 'proof' of her insanity. Crystal tried to tell her what she was really doing, but Nellie kept making fun of her. Before we could get there, Crystal had punched Nellie. Then Nellie came after Crystal, and that's when Mrs. Oleson came out."   
  
"Thank you Mary," said Nels, but he was cut short by his wife.  
  
"Don't you lie to me, young lady! My Nellie would NEVER do such a thing!"  
  
"Harriett, something obviously provoked this young lady. Now, the way I see it, we have two young ladies in the wrong. Nellie, go up to your room; I'll be up in just a minute to deal with you."  
  
James then added, "Yes, well I guarantee Crystal won't be going much of anywhere except church and school for quite a while." Crystal started to get a look of panic in her eyes, but she didn't need to fear.  
  
"I'm sure you'll also be giving your daughter a good tanning as soon as you get home, won't you, Mr. Craiger?" asked Harriett.  
  
"No, Mrs. Oleson, I will not. My wife and I do not believe in striking our child, not for any cause. Although I must say, my daughter has had more than enough bullying in her short life. Do you know how detrimental that is to a young person? If either of the girls needs a good tanning, it's your Nellie."  
  
"Why I never!" exclaimed Mrs. Oleson. "My Nellie did nothing wrong!"  
  
"On the contrary, my dear," said her husband firmly. "She not only fought back when she should have just come and told us about being hit, she teased a girl until she felt she had no other resort but to strike out. And I WILL be dealing with Nellie shortly."  
  
Laura, Mary and Crystal hid their smirks, but they made eye contact. They had succeeded in getting at least one of the two girls spanked!"  
  
"You wouldn't dare!" she screeched.  
  
"Watch me, Harriett," he said calmly.  
  
Harriett took her frustrations out on the other party, ignoring her husband's last statement. "Mr. Craiger," said Harriett, "you WILL give your daughter that spanking! I won't hear of it any other way. She hit my daughter of her own accord! And if you don't, I'll…you'll… you won't be allowed credit in my store!"  
  
"Harriett!" admonished her husband. "I really am sorry, James, don't listen to her."  
  
James Craiger stopped short. He would not lose face with their new neighbors this early in the game. "You know, Nels, perhaps your wife is right. Maybe I SHOULD give Crystal a licking. I thought we had brought her up better than this, but apparently our methods have been too soft. Nels, if you would promise me that Nellie gets what she has coming to her, I guarantee you that Crystal will get hers tonight as well."  
  
"Well, Harriet, what'll it be? Which do you want more? Nellie to get away without my dealing with her, or to have Crystal get what she deserves?" Nels asked his wife, a grin spreading across his face. She didn't have to know that he was still planning on dealing with Nellie anyway!  
  
"Nels…" she pleaded, but her husband remained stoically impassive.   
  
"It's your choice Harriett," was all he said.  
  
"Fine! Take your brat and give her what she deserves! She needs it far more than my Nellie does, that's for sure! But if that's what it takes!" She then gave her "Harriet Oleson screech" which was a very long and high pitched "Ugh!" and flounced out the door, unwilling to hear what would happen to her daughter.  
  
"I'm sorry if I caused a problem Nels," apologized James.  
  
"No problem at all! I would have seen to Nellie one way or the other, but at least this way I'll be able to live with the Missus! Speaking of which, how is Catherine going to take this?"   
  
"Don't you worry about that. I think little miss Crystal here has had this coming; besides, my wife doesn't have to know any more than yours." With that, he waved goodbye to Nels, and headed for the door.  
  
"Good luck!" mouthed Laura to Crystal as she was ushered roughly out the door.  
  
"Thanks!" she mouthed back.  
  
With that Mr. Oleson turned to the two young ladies. "Now, what were you thinking about for your Ma?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, that's okay, Mr. Oleson," Mary hurriedly said before Laura could say anything stupid. "It's not that important. You go take care of Nellie."  
  
"Okay, although it would have been the least I could have done, to wait on you, since you helped us out so much."  
  
"No, really Mr. Oleson," she said just a quickly as before. We're fine. We… were shopping in advance anyway. Thank you. Goodbye!"  
  
"Goodbye girls!" he called out. "Wait, would you put up the 'closed' sign in the window for me?"  
  
"Sure thing, Mr. Oleson!" smiled Laura.  
  
Nels thought, wondering how to best deal with his smart aleck daughter. It had been far too long since he had last dealt with Nellie; he didn't know how long it would be before he could again. In other words, he had to make this impression last. First he picked up a large, oval hairbrush, then set it back down. Then his eye caught the glimmer of the buckle of a brand new belt hanging on the wall.  
  
No better time to break it in, he thought, and he grabbed it, stuffed it in his pocket, then headed resolutely up the stairs. He made his way to his only daughter's room, and then knocked sharply on the door. "Nellie?" he called out.  
  
"WHAT?!?!?!" she called out. Her tone just added fuel to her father's fire. He took a second to calm himself, then opened the door. She was sitting at her vanity table, her face in her hands. When she looked up, it was obvious that she had been crying; her face was red, wet and puffy. It there weren't traces of tears, he would have thought it was just the aftermath of the punch.  
  
"Young lady, lose that tone of voice," he commanded, his voice steely. She just sat with her nose scrunched up, her eyes full of hatred. "It's time you were taught a lesson young lady," he said.  
  
Now he could detect only the slightest bit of fear in her face, but it was enough for him. He proceeded to go to her vacant bed, where he took the mountain of pillows she insisted on sleeping with, and stacked them one on top of the other on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Father!" she shrieked. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago. Now bend over those pillows, Nellie."  
  
"But, Father!"  
  
"Do it NOW Nellie. Do not make this any worse on yourself than you already have."  
  
"Mother's going to hate you for this."  
  
"No she won't, she told me to, in fact."  
  
"She didn't!"  
  
"When she gets home you can ask her. But by then, this will already be over and done with. Now, we do it the easy way, Nellie, or we do it the hard way. If I have to make you get over those pillows, you will not like it."  
  
"Father, you don't really mean it!"  
  
"I am giving you until the count of three to get your bottom up and over those pillows Nellie. One…." She still remained seated. "Two…." still she remained seated. Surely he couldn't, wouldn't?  
  
"Three. That's it Nellie, fine. We'll do it the hard way then. But let me tell you, you have now lost the privilege of keeping your bloomers up." With that, the muscular Mr. Oleson strode over to his daughter, picked her right up out of her seat, carried her over to the mound of pillows, and laid her across. In one fluid movement he pulled her frilly blue skirt and her layers of lacy white petticoats up on her back, and in yet another movement he yanked down her remaining set of decency, her lacy white bloomers.  
  
"Father!" she gasped, as she felt the cool air swirl around her perfectly round cheeks.  
  
"It was your choice, Nellie. Don't give me that. Now, whatever you do, do not put your hands behind you. God help us both if you do." With that, Nels grabbed the belt, doubled it over, and took a step backward.   
  
Without so much as a warning, he lifted his strong, right arm far behind him, and with all of the strength he had, he delivered the first blow. The shriek that elicited from Nellie's mouth pierced her father's eardrums, and rattled the glass windows in their frames.   
  
"Nellie," he said fairly loudly, so as to be heard over her gasping sobs, "STOP BEING SO MELODRAMATIC! YOU HAVE HAD THIS COMING FOR A LONG TIME NOW. You have a lot more to go, young lady, so get a hold of yourself." With that the exaggerated sobs lessened somewhat, and finally Nels was just able to make out what she was saying.  
  
"I HATE YOU! I'm not being MELODRAMATIC, it HURTS!"  
  
"Yeah, well brace yourself kid, 'cause it's only going to hurt worse."  
  
He looked at the bright red, thin weal that had formed on her mid-buttocks. He then stepped back, and let fly another lash, this one landing an inch below the first. As the red began to spread, Nellie let out another shriek, this time only slightly less intense. Nels shook his head, trying to rid himself of the ringing in his ears. He would be lucky to get this licking done; no sense being too hard on her. Besides, she was only embarrassing herself, as over half of Walnut Grove was milling around outside.  
  
Finally he let fly yet another lash, this time having it land in the tender area between thigh and buttock. He ignored the shriek it produced, then went on down and hit her thighs. This really got his daughter to hollering, but her mentally blocked it out. By now her rear was beginning to look like the peppermint sticks she was always filching from the store. Four stripes, and nowhere near done.  
  
He then went back to the lower part of her bottom, laying two more strikes right there in the crease. The reddish glow was becoming more prominent, but he wasn't done yet. He had decided to make this lesson stay with her every time she sat down in the near future, and he wasn't going to break that promise. He attacked her thighs two more times. By now, her screams were dying down to hoarse sobs. He was surprised that she hadn't reached back, but figured she was gutsier than he had thought.  
  
He decided to land the last five right back down on her thighs and bottom crease; a few small bruises would hardly do her any harm; she would be forced to think of this every time she sat down for a few days, anyway. If he could keep her behaving better for just that short period of time, it would be worth it.  
  
He laid each one on with as much force as he had, leaving her with one swollen, red, and just slightly bruised rear and pair of thighs. If he had been caught doing what she had done as a boy, he would have gotten much worse than a stroke per each year of his life, but to Nellie's unaccustomed backside, he decided to let go at that. He felt that she should be aware of this, however.  
  
"Nellie?" he asked.   
  
"What?" came her muffled response.   
  
"I'm sorry that was necessary, but you should know I let you off easy. You should have gotten twice that."  
  
He got no response from her, so he assumed she was simply not speaking to him. "Well, when you are ready, come downstairs and I'll get you some ice for your eye. You're going to have a nice black eye from this."  
  
"Can't you bring it up here?"  
  
"No, Nellie, I can't. I don't want you using it on your backside." With that he went and pulled up her bloomers, and it was when he reached up to pull down her skirts that he realized his mistake. Her skirts were so long and so full that they had pinned her arms down, prohibiting her from reaching back like he had been almost relying upon. He finished lowering her garments, and left the room.   
  
Nellie's last thoughts were: My father is SO naïve. 


	3. Crystal Gets What She Wants and Deserves

Crystal is Crazy Part 3  
  
A Little House Fan Fiction  
  
James Craiger roughly grabbed his daughter by the arm and led her out to the waiting wagon. Crystal was excited at the chance of finally getting what she had always dreamed of, but she was also becoming slightly worried. She had never seen her father this livid before.  
  
"Just wait until we get home, young lady," he growled. "How I'm going to explain this to your ma I just don't know. But you are going to pay for this. I thought we'd taught you better than this! Maybe we've been too easy on you. Is that it? Should we have been spanking you all along? Should we continue to do so?"  
  
Crystal wisely kept her mouth clamped shut; these questions seemed to require no real response, and she didn't want to get into any deeper trouble. She already was scared. She had no idea how this was going to go.   
  
The closer they came to their large farm the more she became worried. Tears were beginning to start to trickle down her fingernail-scratched cheeks, causing them to burn. She brushed fiercely at them, but they didn't go unnoticed.  
  
Finally they made it to the end of the line. James hopped out of the wagon, briskly walked around to the other side, and lifted his daughter up and out. He left the team hitched up; it wasn't terribly hot out, and they could stand it. Once again he roughly took her by the elbow and led her into the house.  
  
The smell of freshly baked apple pie greeted them as they passed through the threshold. Julia, Crystal's brown-haired mother, turned around from putting the finishing touches on a pie with a large smile on her face. That smile quickly disappeared at the looks coming from her husband and daughter.  
  
"What's the matter? Why, Crystal! You're hurt!" she cried, running over to inspect the scratches left by the Oleson girl.  
  
"It's nothin', Ma," she replied quietly.  
  
"Oh, isn't it, Little Miss Crystal?" her father instigated.  
  
"Papa, don't make me tell her!" Crystal cried out.  
  
"James, what on Earth is going on here?" demanded Julia.  
  
"Our daughter got in a fist-fight with none other but Nellie Oleson over just a little teasing," he replied grimly.  
  
"Just a LITTLE teasing?" cried Crystal indignantly.  
  
"Young lady! You will speak only when you are spoken to," her father said harshly.  
  
"Crystal, go up to your room while your father and I decide on your punishment," sighed her mother.  
  
"You don't have to," she replied quietly.  
  
"Go on," urged her father with fire raging in his eyes.  
  
"Mrs. Oleson insisted that Papa… oh please, don't make me say it!"  
  
"You WILL say it young lady, or it will be considerably worse," he replied harshly.  
  
"Come on, it can't be that bad, sweetheart," coaxed Julia, totally oblivious to what her daughter was trying to say.  
  
"Ma, Pa has to spank me," Crystal said sadly, so softly that she could barely be heard.  
  
"Oh no he does not!" she retorted.  
  
"Actually, dear, I do. Harriett Oleson is making me. And quite frankly, I think our daughter is asking for it!" a very angry James said.  
  
Crystal immediately worried. Had her father said that "she was asking for it?" Did he mean in the literal sense or not?  
  
"Do you really think that is such a wise idea, James? Sure, she's been getting a little out of hand, but I don't think Crystal has been asking for a spanking!"  
  
"No, Julia, her attitude has gotten to be too much. I don't care if she is sick; she has to know right from wrong. And if confining her to the house as punishment doesn't get through to her, then maybe a little pain will."  
  
Phew, Crystal thought, he hadn't meant that she'd literally been ASKING for it, asking for it. Just that she'd been deserving it.  
  
"Crystal, go on up to your room. I have to unhitch the team, and then I'll be up to deal with you." With that, James strode back outside, slamming the door shut on his way out. Crystal broke into sobs.  
  
"None of that, now, Crystal. I'd be getting up to your room, if I were you. I wouldn't want your pa catching you down here when you're supposed to be up there. You'll be alright. Sure, you're going to be hurting for a while, but you're a tough young lady. You've been through so much pain, you can certainly get through this." With that, Julia gave her daughter a quick, comforting hug and planted a kiss on top of her head. As Crystal turned to go upstairs to her room, Julia landed a swift smack to her daughter's backside.  
  
Crystal slowly made her way up to her room. She had no brothers or sisters, and so she had many things other children did not, including her own room. She didn't know what to do, or how her father was going to do this. She had heard about different ways kids got it, of course. She hoped he wasn't going to grab one of the straps from the barn while he was out there. How she'd be able to tolerate that was beyond her.  
  
Finally she just sat down on her bed and waited, tears glistening in her eyes. After about ten minutes she heard her father stomping up the stairs. The tears that were welling up in her eyes spilled out as she heard him twist the doorknob.   
  
What she saw scared the living daylights out of her. In his right hand was a switch.  
  
"Papa, no!" she cried.  
  
"Don't give me that. You've had this coming a while, and I intend to deal with your impertinence here and now. In fact, you are getting two spankings young lady."  
  
"But Papa!"  
  
"Don't 'But Papa' me, and DO NOT INTERUPT me, young lady, is that clear?"  
  
"Yessir," she sobbed.  
  
"You're getting one spanking for all the times you have misbehaved in the past and we've allowed you to get by with your actions, and then you are getting a totally separate one for what you did today. You embarrassed both your ma and me, and I won't have my daughter getting into fights, no matter what the cause may be. Now, go over and get your hairbrush."  
  
Slowly, as if in a dream, Crystal stood up, walked over to her desk, and opened the ornate drawer. With shaking hands she withdrew the large, oval, oaken brush. She reluctantly made her way over to her father and proffered the weapon to him. He strode purposefully over to her bed, set the switch down, and then perched on the edge.  
  
"Come over to my right, Crystal," he said calmly and meaningfully. She hesitated a moment, and then made her way over to him. "I'll let you choose. You can keep your bloomers up for one of the spankings. Which will it be?"  
  
Crystal was stunned! She hadn't had any reason to believe her father would make her show herself to him! She didn't have any clue which spanking would hurt worse, so she randomly chose.  
  
"Uh, I'll keep them up for the hairbrush, I guess" she said foolishly.  
  
"If that's your choice, fine." With that, her father crossed his legs. "Bend over my knee, Crystal," he commanded not altogether unkindly.  
  
Slowly she lowered herself in the unfamiliar position. As soon as she was safely balanced, she felt her skirt and petticoat being raised, uncovering her buxom, bloomer-covered bottom.  
  
"Give me your right hand, Crystal," her father demanded, and she readily, although extremely confused, obeyed. He took it in his left hand, and pinned her arm behind her back, restricting her from reaching back to interfere with her punishment.  
  
With that, he raised his right arm, which held the heavy hairbrush and brought it down with a WHOOSH, and then it made contact with her prime right "sit spot."  
  
Crystal kicked her right leg, and let out a cry. The spank burned its message deep into her backside. Why had she wanted this? She had no idea. But now there was no backing out of it… and it sounded as if her father wanted to continue to spank her for her misdeeds!  
  
She was brought out of this reverie by another swift SMACK, this time on her left side. It too left a burning imprint, and she let out yet another cry. Not SCREAMS, like Nellie, but just loud cries, the norm for a spanked child.  
  
Her father went back to her right side, landing the hairbrush right on top of the previous strike. Her cries elevated, and her father could just barely see a hint of pink through her thin white bloomers. He didn't let this deter him from his task, however, and let the hairbrush land hard on the left side, then the right, and then the left again. By this time a hint of red could CLEARLY be seen through her undergarments, and her legs were kicking futilely.   
  
Never had Crystal felt such pain; even her headaches seemed like nothing compared to this. Of course, any amount of pain you feel always seems much worse than it is at the time you are experiencing it, but she couldn't help but to feel that this was the worst she'd ever felt! She felt awful for causing Nellie pain, for being a pain to her parents, and simply, she just felt punished. This was something new to her; her confinements had done nothing to make her feel like she was in the wrong. They had only managed to make her angry at her parents. For the first time ever she felt true, complete remorse for what she had done. And she felt that she was paying the price, and that once this was over, she'd be in the right again.  
  
Her father kept alternating sides, never shifting to another spot. As he laid the sixth and final swat to her left side, he literally felt the heat radiating from her punished posterior. He set the brush down, and gently rubbed his daughter's back. He murmured comforting words in her ear until she finally could keep from crying out. He knew she could hear over her soft sobs, so he spoke.  
  
"Okay, baby girl, we're halfway through. I promise to make this last part quick, okay? I need you to stand up, though."  
  
She was utterly confused, but she shakily obeyed. He steadied her as she righted herself. Then he, too stood up. Crystal rubbed her seat, all the while watching her father's every movement.  
  
James was setting her pillows up quite similarly to how Nels had recently done for Nellie, although he would never know it. After he had piled three fluffy pillows into the world's softest skyscraper, he patted them a few times. "Go ahead and bend over those pillows, honey."  
  
Crystal gradually minced her way over to the mound, and, after taking a deep breath, bent over them.  
  
"Now hold onto the other side of the bed," her father instructed. She hastily obeyed, finding that it provided a little extra support. "Crystal, I'm going to have to ask you to do something very difficult, okay? I know you can do it though. I need you to not reach back during this part of your punishment. I will have to give you an extra stroke if you do, okay? I don't want to hurt your hands."  
  
She nodded her agreement, all the while sobbing into the quilt. Her father came up behind her, raised her skirts, and, after taking a deep breath, pulled down her bloomers. Crystal sucked in her breath as she felt the rough cloth being pulled down over her sore, swollen cheeks, but wisely kept her mouth shut.  
  
James reached over and grabbed the switch. He had promised to keep this quick, and he intended to keep his promise. With strengthened resolve, he snapped the switch across the backs of his daughter's thighs. This time she let out a little screech, but she clutched the quilt for all she was worth, promising herself not to reach back. And, unlike Nellie, she could if she wanted to.  
  
James didn't give her more than a second's rest in between strikes, and quickly landed the third, fourth and fifth strikes, one below the other, each eliciting a slightly louder screech. He thought that just maybe she would get through this first licking without any extra strokes, when, after the sixth stripe was added to the mix, causing her thighs to look like the red and white portion of the American flag, she started to reach back.   
  
The pain had become so intense, she had forgotten the rule. Thankfully, he didn't hit her as he wasn't planning on striking for another second or two, but he did catch her.  
  
"Crystal!" he thundered ominously. "Put that hand back! We were half done, but now we still have seven to go."  
  
"No!" she cried out as she reached her hand forward again, but she was cut short by a flurry of three hard strikes. James took a second for a breather; he was perspiring heavily. Finally he reached back, and quickly let fly the last four strokes before she could reach back again. By this time, she was broken, just lying across the pillows sobbing.  
  
James gently pulled her bloomers back up, and sat next to her, softly stroking her hair. He was quite taken aback when she said once she had caught her breath, "Thank you, Pa."  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Thank you for finally punishing me how I needed it. I know you love me enough to do it now."  
  
"You thought we didn't love you?" he asked, unbelieving.  
  
"No, I knew you loved me, but… I've always seen kids get punished and stuff, but have things go right back to normal once their licking was over. It felt like you and Ma always held a grudge against anything I did."  
  
"Why didn't you ever say that?" he asked.  
  
"I thought you would think I was stupid… and I was scared."  
  
"Of the spanking or our reaction?"  
  
"Both." she replied quietly.  
  
"I'm sorry we let you down, sweetie," he said genuinely.  
  
"That's okay. I love you Pa." 


End file.
